Refrigerator



Aug. 7, 192s. 1,679,875

H. A. W. yPETERSEN REFRIGERATUR Filed Deo. 19, 1925 4Patented Aug. 7, 1928.

UNITED STATESr PATENT OFFICE.

. HEINRICH A. W. PETERSEN, `F GARY, `INDIIILINL/..

REFRIGERATOR.

Application filed December 19,1923. Serial No. (281,548.

This invention relates to a refrigerator and more particularly to a `refripgerator which is provided With a vacuum casina'.

One of the objects `of the present invention is to provide a highly efficient and economical refrigerator.A

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved door construction for a refrigerator.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a refrigeratol1 construction ,by means of which the ice chamber is excluded from communication With 'the outside air when the refrigerator door is open.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a novel or improved shelf construe tion for a refrigerator;

These and other objects are obtained. by providing a construction and arran,tiennent of the various parts in the manner hereinafter described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Referring` to the drawings, Fig. 1 is a front elevational view showing my iinprovedrefrigerator.

Fig. 2 is a cross sectional view taken on plane passing; through the longitudinal axis of the refrigerator.

Fig. 3 is a cross sectional view taken on thel lines 3-3`in Fig'. 2.

Fig. l is a top plan vievv with certain of the parts eliminated `for the purpose of showing the manner in which ml improved (Llisappearing door is eccentrical y mounted With. respect to the longitudinal axis of the refrigerator, and

Fig. 5 is a perspective View ofniy iniproved door. r

\ For` the purpose of illustration I have shown my improved vacuum refrigerator comprising abase 10 provided With a bot-` tom 11.

This base 10 is cylindrical in forni and is provided with an opening` 12 on one side thereof through which a drip pan 13 i may be inserted or removed. Securely mounted on the base 10 and preferably by bolts 1li is ra cylindrical casing 15. This casinos1 15 is provided with an outer and inner Wall 16 and 17 between which is formed a vacuum outer Wall 1G andthe inner Wall 17 entend' inwardly as shown at 19 and QOto form the bottoni of `the refrigerator proper. The

.purpose hereinafter set forth.

walls 19 and 20 are connected centrally of the refrigerator in such a manner as to forni` centrally disposed aperture 21. through which a drain pipe .9.9. extends. The drain pipe 22 support-ed in this aperture by a bracket 23 which is rigidly secured to the pipe in any Well lrnoivn manner. Reinovably mounted on the cylindrical casing' 10 `is a cover 24;. The bcover 2a is preferably made of a tivo-Wall construction, as shown at` 25 and 26 havingi a vacuum chamber 27 therebetween. The cover 24. is provided with a peripherally arranged recess 2S which is adapted to seat itself on the curved portion 9.9 of the cylindrical shell or casina 1 5. This construction permits an air tight connection between the cover 2.4 and the casino; 15 of the refrigerator. lllioivever, if it is found necessary, suitable hingijes may be provided for hingedly connettingn the cover to the Casin Cf of the refrigeration In carryiner out my iinprovedice bei; construction I have provided an ice chamber in the upper portion thereof by securing' a cir cular disc 80 to the inner Walls 17 of the casing. The disc 30 is provided With a contrally disposed enlarged aperture 3l for the The upper end of the drain pipe 22 as shown at 32 is supported in its position by a horizontally disposed plate or disc 32 which secured to the inner Walls 17 of the casing` 15 in any Well known manner. rlhis plate or disc 32 is provided With. asenii-circular opening; 33. as shown in Fin'. 8. The upper end of the pipe V22 has secured thereto a circular tray 3ft Which is spaced between the discs 3() and in such a manner that the cool air may pass through the opening: 31 and outwardly from,

`the tray 34tdoyvn through the semincircuiar opening' 33 in the disc 32 to the other coinpartinente of the. refrigerator. The tray 341; is provided. With a peripherally arranged and upwardly entending` fiance 35 which retains the drippinn's from the 'ice for conveying the saine into the drain pipe Loosely mounted on the tray is an ice raclr 36 for supporting1 the ice in position in the refrinfn erator. ln order to divide the compart- 1n ents below the ice chamber l have ilirovided a novel form or rotatably mounted. shelves-1` 37. Each of these shelves arespaced at the desired intervals and maintained at these intervals by collars 38, .vhieh are secured to theJ drain pipe 22 in any well known yinanner.` By this arrangement it Will be f thecommunicationbetween the ice chambe 'and the other compartments of the refrigerator. This construction comprises a semicylindrical shell` 39 which v1s preferably formed of two walls having a vacuum chamber therebetween,V as shown at V40. The

upper end of the semi-cylindrical shell is provided with a semi-circular disc, as shown at 41. This semi-circular disc. is secured to theshell in any well known manner and is yprovided with an aperture 42`disposed concentrically with relation to the longitudinal axis of the semi-circular shell.Y The lower end'of the semi-cylindrical shell is provided .with a spider-like support 43 having the outer ends of its arms, as shown at 44, secured lto said shell. The spider 43 is provided with a centrally disposed bore 45 whichjis positioned concentrically with the aperture 42 of the semi-circular disc 4 1. The door 39 is pivotally mounted on the drain pipe22 by having the pipe 22 extend through the aperture 42 ofthe semi-circular disc 4l and through the aperture 45 of the spider 143. 'In order to eliminate all friction in operating the door I have provided a ball bearing 46, which is positioned between the bearing portion 47 of theA spider 43 and the bracket23 of the refrigerator. In Order to further eliminate any friction and to secure the sides of the door, when in its closed position, against admission of warm air into the -refrigerator,`the drain pipe 22 is positioned `eccentrically with respect to the longitudinalV Y'axis-ofthe cylindrical casing 16, as clearly Yshown li-n Fig. 4. It will of course be understood that the opening in the casing 15 norv'mally .covered by the door extends substantially around one half the refrigerator, as clearly shown in Figs. l and 4. To further insure against admissionV of warm air into the refrigerator, when the door is closed, l have provided a feltfstrip adjacent the top and bottom of the door, as shown at 48,.

which is engageable with a corresponding y brassstrip onthe inner side of the refrigerator whch contacts throughout with the 'felt strip Vwhen the door is closed. The door Y39 is limited in its oscillatory movement about its pivot on the drain 4pipe 22 by a .stop 49 secured on the inside of the refrigcrater. The lower end of the drain pipe 22 is provided with a U-shaped trap 50, which retains ywater'in the bottom thereof andprevents the admission of warm air into the ice chamber.

In the operation of the above described theice 51 placed in the ice chamber where it rest-s upon the tray 30 and rack 36. As the ice melts the cooling aul passing through the rack over the sides of the tray 34 and downwardly through the semi-circular opening 33 of the disc 32 into the lower compartment of the refrigerator. IVhen it is desired to have access to the compartments below the 'ice chamber, the door is swung about its p1vots 42 and 45 on the drain pipe 22 until the door has practically disappeared where 1t occupies the position shown in the dotted lines in Fig. 4. Then in this position the semi-circular disc 41 of the door 39 covers substantially the circular opening 33 in the disc 32 so that the communication between the ice chamber and the compartments therebelow is shut off, thereby preventing the warm air from entering the ice chamber of the refrigerator and thereby conserving the ice.

It will be seen by referring to Fig. 4 that by positioning the pivot of the door 39 eceentrically with respect to the longitudinal axis of the .cylindrical casing l5 the door is not only given greater clearance between the inner wall of the casing when opened, but this arrangement also insures the door opening in the casing to be air tight when the door is close-d.

It will be further noted that by providing the rotatable shelves 37 it is not necessary `to open the door to its extreme position in order to have easy access to the articles on the tray. In other words the door may be partially .opened and the shelves 37 may be revolved so that an article on any portion of the shelves may be easily removed.

Thilo in the above specification I have described one embodiment which my invention inay assume in practice, it will of course be understood that the same is capable of modi- `fication, and that modification may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the followdisappearing arcuately shaped revolving 1 door operatively mounted on said casing, and means adapted to revolve with said door whereby communication between certain portions of said refrigerator and certain other portions thereof is cut off when said door is opened.

2. A refrigerator comprising a base, a vacuum refrigerator casing mounted on said base, a disappearing arcuately shaped door pivoted eccentrically with respect to the longitudinal axis of said casing and a plurality of shelves pivoted concentrically with said door.

3. A refrigerator comprising a base, a. vacuum cylindrical casing mounted on said base, and a door pivoted eeeentrieally with respeet to the longitudinal axis of said easing.

l. A refrigerator comprising a base, a easing mounted on said base, said easing divided into a plurality of compartments in communication with eaeh other, a disappearing areuately shaped door pivot-ally related to said easing and means whereby the coinmunieation between certain of said eo1npartments eut oli' when the door is opened.

5. A refrigerator comprising a cylindrical easing, a drain pipe mounted substantially in the longitudinal center of said easing, a

door piyoted to said drain pipe, and a plurality et shelves rotatably mounted concentrieally with the pivot of said door.

6. A refrigerator comprising a cylindrical easing, a d 1ain pipe mounted substantially in the longitudinal center ot' said easing, said easing having an opening in one side thereof, and a disappearing door pivotally Connected to said drain pipe to @over said opening.

7. A refrigerator eoniiprising a Cylindrical easing, a door pivoted eeeentrieally with respeet to the longitudinal axis ot' said easing, and a sheliE rotatably mounted in said easing eoneentrieally with respect to the pivot ot said door.

8. A refrigerator comprising a eylindrieal easing, a door pivoted eeeentrieally with respee to the longitudinal axis of said easing, and a plurality of shelves rotatably mounted in said easing eoneentrieally with respect to t-he pivot ot said door.

A refrigerator comprising a cylindrical easing, having an opening on one side thereoi, "an iee chamber in the upper portion et said easing, a drain pipe mounted in said easing for draining Water from said iee chamber, and a door pivotally mounted on said drain pipe for eoveriiig the opening in said easing.

l0. A refrigerator comprising a cylindrioal easing, having an opening on one side thereo'l, an iee ehainber in the upper portion oit said easing, a drain pipe mounted in said easing for draining water from said iee Chamber, a plurality of shelves rotatably mounted on said drain pipe, and a door pivotally mounted on said drain pipe for covering the opening in said easing.

1l. A refrigerator comprising a Cylindrieal easing having an opening in one side thereof, and a disappearing door pivotally eonneeted to said easing eeeentrieally with respeet to the longitudinal. axis of said easing for covering said opening.

12. A refrigerator eonnnising a cylindri- Cal casing, having an opening on one side thereof, an iee chamber in the upper portion ot said easing, a drain pipe mountedin said easing for draining Water from the ee chamber, a door pivotally mounted on said drain pipe for eoveringthe opening in said easing and means whereby the Communication between said iee chamber and the other portions ot said easing is shut oit' when the door is opened.

13. A refrigerator Comprising a Cylindrieal easing, haring an opening on one side thereof, an ice chamber in the upper portion ot said easing, a drain pipe mounted in said easing for draining water i'rom the iee chamber, a plurality ot shelves rotatably mounted on said drain pipe, a door pivotally mounted on said drain pipe for covering the opening in said easing and means whereby the communication between said iee chamber and the other portions of said easing is shut oit when the door is opened. i

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this speeitieation on this 11th day of Deeember A, D. 1928.

HEINRICH A. lV. PETERSEN. 

